PREREQUISITE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE - "VIN GUN KEETE BHAGTI N HOI"

The majority of us are Manmukhs (self-willed...). Essentially a Manmukh
is an egoist being who lacks Divine understanding (Aatam-Giaan). As a result, he does not know who he is! Due to
ignorance and doubts, he is unaware of his Mool (ਮੂਲ-Source, Origin...) which is ever present
within. In this ignorance of his True Nature, many wrong notions, ideas, concepts,
and precepts arise about himself and God as he identities with his body-mind-intellect
personality (body-consciousness). As a consequent of such bewilderment caused by confusions and doubts,
he takes himself as "mortal'', "different from his Real Self'', "helpless", "miserable",
and "limited''. Thus, owing to this fundamentally wrong self-identity, man creates
separation (veil of false egoism) between himself and the Reality where there is none!

One may ask, "Why is it so difficult to Realize the Absolute
Truth?" What are we lacking? What is it that keep us from Realizing the Mool within? What must we do to experience It? The Gurbani provides us with
an authoritative answer and direction as follows:

ਵਿਣੁ ਗੁਣ ਕੀਤੇ ਭਗਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥: Vinu gun keete bhagti n hoi(sggs 4).

What it essentially means is that in order to become a fit spiritual
student (Sikh) for Spiritual Realization, one has to become a divine-individual (the Gurmukh) fully endowed with
some special Divine Qualities. In turn, these divine qualities will assist him
in Bagati (understanding of the Gurbani's Giaan or Gurmat).

Dinine Virtues and the Divine Knowledge (Aatam-Giaan) go hand in hand.
These observations are helpful:

Discrimination of Real and unreal

Dispassion or detachment from the unreal

Mental control

Physical control

Self-control and discipline

Endurance or forbearance

Faith

Equanimity

Intense longing for Self-realization

Discrimination Of The Real And Unreal:
Discriminating Intellect is known as Bibek-Budhi.
Without it, man is unable to discriminate between the Eternal (Permanent) and
the ephemeral (impermanent). This subtle sense of discrimination helps one to
know the difference between Sat & Asat (Truth
and falsehood). Thus, a person with discrimination knows that the Absolute Reality
alone is Eternal (Sat) and that everything else in this material world
being in the framework of time and space is temporary (Asat). The Gurbani
says that withoutBibek-Budhi, this precious human life is a total waste:

Dispassion Or Detachment From The Unreal:
Dispassion or detachment (or Bairagya )
is the absence of sensual attachment to accepting things for one's own sense
gratification. In other words, detachment towards that which are temporary
in life (unreal) and attachment to Mool (Real) only constitute. Such detachment must be
consequent to developing the quality of discrimination; otherwise detachment
will result because of frustration in life and not out of conviction!

Detachment does not mean that one should become inactive or idle.
It simply means not to get attached to Maya. One who has
developed the most intense Bairaag is never influenced adversely by the inherent
charm of the mundane objects. He is fully aware that attachment to the enchanting worldly
objects are full of suffering and would deviate a seeker of Truth from the Spiritual Path.
Accordingly, he looks upon sense objects with an eye of detachment.

In short, Bairaag is a complete attachment to Spirit,
and complete detachment from matter. Therefore, in order to develop intense
Bairaag, one's activities must be God-centered. The Divine
himself is a Bairaagee. He is in everything yet he is out of everything.
He is so near yet he is faraway. In order to merge with such Bairaagee
one has to become Bairaagee himself while incarnated.

Mental Control: Mind is the controller of the senses and sense organs (Indrees or Indriyas).
Therefore, mind is the generating place of carnal desires (Vaasnaas)
and related fears. Insulated by these desires, man remains in material bondage
and separated from his Mool. One of the widely quoted verses of the Gurbani
says "Man jeetai jag jeet" meaning that,
one who has conquers his mind conquers the material world (sggs 6).

Therefore, in order to become fit for Bhakti
or Bhagti one has to establish complete control over his mind. One who has
implacably discarded the enjoyment of sense objects for the gratification of
senses is said to have control over his mind. If, however, there is a slightest
desire for sense gratification, the mind can not be said to have been controlled,
even though one may think it is under control. To put it otherwise, the mind
that does not get disturbed by the changes in the material world is said to
have attained control. That is to say, the mind empty of mundane thoughts (ਫੁਰਨੇ) can
easily join with its Mool, while mind full of mundane thoughts remain
detached from the Mool. God-realization is said to be beyond the power of thoughts.
Our logic fails here. No wonder the
Gurbani has addressed mind thousands of times!

Physical Control:
Man controlled by the sense pleasures is spiritually blind. Physical
control means control of the external senses. Human body is equipped with ten
sense organs. Five of which are known as cognitive organs (taste, smell, seeing,
word, and touch), and the remaining five are called conative organs (legs, hands,
tongue, anus, and genital). As the mind is controlled, we also learn to control
the external sense organs. Control at the physical level can be very helpful,
because happenings at the external level can effect the atmosphere of the mind.

Self-Control And Discipline:
It includes purity of mind, contentment in all situations, interiorization
of the mind, and sincere Bhagti. By practicing self-discipline, one learns
not to accept everything that is harmful to Spiritual Progress (Aatam-Giaan...). Our senses are
continually wander for sense gratification. Due to love of Maya, the mind also remains unstable. The idea is not to cater to these demands
of the senses and mind. When we have gained some degree of control over mind
and senses, self-control and discipline automatically takes place.

Endurance Or Forbearance:
Forbearance represents man's capacity for tolerance or mental
evenness, forgiveness, and humbleness or humility. This quality enables us to
endure pleasure and pain, and other pairs of opposite presented by this material
world of pluralities (duality or Doojaa-Bhaav). Therefore, the Gurbani urges us to bear good and bad, hot and cold, sufferings
and joy, insult and praise, and so on, with mental evenness.

Equanimity: Equanimity is the single pointedness of the mind imbued in Shabad-Vichar, etc. The mind restrained from sense-experiences
becomes established in a state of equanimity and purity, free from the memories
of the past and worries of the future. Such a mind is said to be fit to fully
concentrate upon the Supreme Reality. A person of equanimity can never deviate
from the Spiritual Path; like the sky, he will not be tainted by distractions.

Intense Longing For Self-Realization: Self-realization or Self rediscovery means freedom or liberation
from contaminated consciousness (false self or egoism or Haumai)
and linking with the Mool (Source, Origin...) within. When man becomes free from the
influence of the illusory material energy (Maya), he attains Liberation.

According to the Gurbani, the purpose
of human life is to attain Freedom from the repeated suffering and the fear of death. Accordingly, this is a very fundamental qualification
for contemplation (Bhagti, Shabad-Vichaar...). It is said that
other divine qualities will follow if we have a burning yearning within for
Self-realization.

With intense longing for Spiritual Realization comes the Awareness that we are
Spirit Soul, for God has made us in His Pure Image (Joti-Svaroopa). Divine
Grace is directly proportional to the intensity of one's love for the Mool. Accordingly, the Gurbani tells us to abandon our longing for the
worldly objects, and, instead, develop intense yearning for our the Mool.
An illustration of such longing is given in the Gurbani as follows:

Tool For Self-Analysis: The degree of our success in Spiritual endeavors
will depend to the degree Ddivine Qualifications are awakened in us. Accordingly,
they can be used as a tool for self-analysis. No other mundane qualification
matters.These Divine Qualities help one to become God-centered
person (the Gurmukh).

Divine Attributes are part of man's True Nature (Soul-consciousness).
However, in most part they lie dormant in us. The Divine Virtues are ideal of a sincere seeker. By keeping
them in mind, we can practice and guide our self-efforts to cleanse the mind
of conditioning...

By constant practice one surely can gain the Realization of the Mool.
On the other hand, by merely performing fruitive activities or superficial religious
rituals, one surely faces the danger of gliding down again into the cycle of
repeated suffering.

Attention, concentration, and contemplation leads one enters into the deeper meaning of the Gurbani. The more we reflect on the Gurbani, the more we realize its inner meanings.